Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Scary Edition

This isn't quite how I wanted to do my scary post. Unfortunately, my computer with all my pictures and the scanner is under the weather right now. Luckily, I found this gem of a picture stored in my husband's laptop.
Before you start getting all warm and fuzzy seeing my boy show my mom how the Advent Calendar works, I think you should know this picture was taken in MARCH (2001)! Yes, March! I'm ashamed to admit that my decorations were still up. Pretty scary, huh? And, it's a fake picture. My mom was wanting to send some pics to a friend, but she didn't want a whole bunch taken at the same time. So, lucky for her it still looked like Christmas at my home!

47 Days Later

The insurance adjuster FINALLY visited us today . Turns out we need a total new roof. This is just another reminder of how we were graced by God's mercy regarding Hurricane Ike. The adjuster was flabbergasted that we didn't have any inside damage. He saw roofs that were in better condition than ours yet the inside of the home was totally destroyed. We didn't realize our roof was in such horrible shape. We only lost a few shingles. So now I'm worried about rain. We have had some rain and as far as I know, no water damage. :::crossing fingers:::

He only approved half our fence however. There are some boards that are usable (I hate mismatched planks, that's going to drive me buggy.) and we share with 4 other homes. Lovely trying to coordinate with everyone. I miss my fence! I'm a lazy dog owner and this constant taking the dog out is old now.

We still have to wait a few WEEKS for the money. Obviously, there are a lot of claims out here. It's so ugly here. All the broken fences and blue tarps are our view now. But! We have a view!


Maybe a new fence will be our Christmas present! Ty would sure like that!

Listen To Your Grandmother; She Is Wise!

When I had Lamb, my Grandmother told me to be sure to write down everything I wanted to remember. Funny things that were said, sweet moments, anything I didn't want to forget. I nodded my head to her wise advice and had good intentions. Life has a funny way of getting away from you and before you know it, you realize that you didn't write anything down. And your oldest is fourteen years old. Next election, she'll be able to vote!

I was cleaning out a junk drawer this afternoon when I spied an old notepad. I hate throwing those things away because my doodling lists & hastily scrawled notes might come in handy one day. Such as today. While flipping through it, I came across these little gems of Bearisms circa 2004 (age 7) while at Disney. There are things I will never forget about that trip. And there are these 2 items which I clearly forgot about until today. What a fun treat to realize I had the forethought to write them down.

Two things Bear wanted to happen on that trip. One, he wanted a Pluto hat. Two, he wanted to meet Pluto. He found the hat of his dreams and wore it the whole trip. While wearing it, he came up with this observation: "People act weird around me....and I like it!"

While Bear & I were waiting for Lamb & Big D to 'tour the world' at Epcot, a cast member came up to Bear aka Pluto. The CM yelled "Pluto!" and whipped out his autograph book for Bear to sign. Bear signed HIS name. "Cool! Now I have Pluto's real name!" said the CM when Bear returned the book.

Oh yeah, goal #2 for Bear? It happened as well. :)

Camera Critters #29

Before Cleo and Ty, we had these critters!

A dalmatian

and an unhappy Tigger!

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - '90s Edition

Universal Studios circa 1993
I thought I was So.Cool.

*enlarge for maximum effect. Yikes!

Remind Me NOT To Borrow Her Jeans

This weekend, the fam & I ran up to Dallas for a wedding. And, boy, do my legs hurt! We arrived at the chapel about 30 minutes before the ceremony was scheduled to begin. As we walked up, we noticed the bride & her maid of honor leaving. Didn't think too much of it.

We were still sitting there waiting twenty minutes after showtime. I briefly wondered if we saw her make her getaway. Fortunately, that was not the case. Twenty five minutes late and the ceremony began. And in five minutes we were on our way to the reception.

Then the whispering began. The reason the wedding started late? The maid of honor didn't have her panties! She wore jeans to the wedding and forgot to pack panties for her dress. Why that matters? Got me. Seems like it'd be more comfortable to be panty-less in a dress than jeans. What do I know though?

So, she & the bride hightailed it to grab her some. Making the bride late for her own wedding! The maid of honor begged the bride not to tell. The bride begged her sister not to tell. Her sister said: "How can I NOT tell this? Sorry."

My grandfather adored the maid of honor. Seems she's the great-great niece of a very famous admiral in WWII. That makes her all right in his book. Wonder what he'd think if he knew she didn't wear panties with her jeans?

Camera Critters #28

A few years ago, before the hurricanes rocked the Florida coast, Coastie Brother's family and my family spent a week together at our mom's timeshare in Navarre Beach, Florida. The kids had a great time together. The adults did too. I love Navarre Beach. I'm sad we can no longer go there. The timeshare was destroyed. And, of course, that would happen just as my best friend growing up moved close to the area. Sigh.

Anyway, one night we all ate at Fudpucker's, a fun hamburger joint in Destin. Not only do they have yummy food but also gators!

The Making of Bear

When he was 3, he finally started really talking. I knew he'd probably need speech therapy. Most of the boys in my family did.

When he was in pre-k, his teacher told me that it was December before he ever talked to her and she could see his personality emerge. He had some seriously cute speech patterns. Girl was gel. Cloud was clown. Adorable. Lamb would translate for him.

When he was in kindergarten, he was still so shy that he wouldn't talk to his teacher. We started noticing that if we couldn't understand what he was saying the first time, he would NOT repeat it. Even if we just didn't hear him. He'd just shut down.

When he was in 1st grade, his teacher asked me if she could have him tested for speech. Finally! I had been begging to have him tested and was told repeatedly it was all developmental. Sure enough, he qualified for articulation.

When he was in 2nd grade, he started emerging around November rather than December. Speech was building his confidence but he was still incredibly shy.

When he was in 3rd grade, his wonderful, adorable, fantastic teacher really brought him out of his shell. Their personalities clicked and she gave him a safe place to be heard and to just be him.

When he was in 4th grade, he once again had that special teacher who understood him and allowed him to be him. I had to stop using the label "incredibly shy" when talking about him. He was still shy, but comfortable enough to relax.

Now it's 5th grade. And I'm talking about Bear. My funny, sweet, adorable, and, yes, shy Bear. Today he had the confidence to get up in front of 240 4th and 5th graders to tell them why they should vote for him to be Student Council Treasurer. Oh, he was nervous. He was anxious. But, he did it. And not only did he succeed in public speaking but I saw him supporting the other candidates. It's hard to do what these 5th graders did.

And the students voting saw something in him. Ladies and Gents, let me introduce to you the 2008-2009 Student Council Treasurer.
BEAR!!! He did it! I could not be more proud. He could not be more proud. I videotaped his speech. I'm not going to post it, but I'd be more than happy to share it. Let me know in the comments. If you are so inclined, you can leave me your email address if I don't have it.

Thank you everyone for all your well wishes, prayers, thoughts, support. They mean the world to us. Ya'll mean the world to me. Thank you.

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - The One Where He'd Killed Me If He Knew

Shhh! Don't tell my son I'm posting this picture! When Bear first discovered baseball, it didn't take him long to realize he wanted Craig Biggio to be his baseball hero. We were so excited back in 2004 to find out that Bear could meet him at the Fan Fest. Unfortunately, Bear woke up feeling awful. His sinus' were kicking his butt. He wanted to go though so we went. After waiting for a long time, it was finally Bear's turn to meet his hero. We paid $5 to have his picture made with him. We just had to laugh when we saw it. Poor Bear!

The one with Adam Everett and another player I could not even name, Bear looks fine. Story of our lives, isn't it?

Meet the Candidate

No, no, not THOSE candidates. Bear decided to throw his hat into the ring. After much consideration, Bear is running for Student Council Treasurer. He has "hired" his campaign manager & writers and started his propaganda.

I was going to get a "Vote for Bear" t-shirt to wear but Bear forbid me. It seems that the boy has a sense of honor. He feels that he has an unfair advantage and doesn't want to use it. If all the other candidates had moms who worked there, he'd be all for me supporting him. However, they don't and he wants me to stay out of it. He won't even let me troll for votes! He got wind that I talked to one of his friends and got a tad bent out of shape. My lips are firmly closed now, but it's so hard!

One of his competition, a new girl, came up to me & told me that she thought it was unfair that Bear was running. When I asked why, she replied that it's because he knows everyone. She then told me that she would have more posters.

We hung up the posters yesterday. I *almost* counted new girl's to make sure Bear had ONE more than she. I refrained. It was hard. His have gotten a HUGE reaction. Principals, teachers, & students are all talking about them.

I think his writers did a fantastic job!

They really fit his personality!

He gives his speech Friday afternoon. The vote will be directly after the speeches.

Believe it or not, he is nervous. There are 4 other students running against him. I think he'll do great. If you remember around 2:15 Friday afternoon, give him a thought for a burst of confidence.

Who knows? I may have an Alex P. Keaton on my hands!

Camera Critters #27 and Lazy

A boy and his dog. This might could have been used for Lazy as well! ;)

This is a lazy roll down the Comal River. We had some excitement, but, overall, it was a lazy ride. And we really need to do it again!

She Thinks She's Funny

I walk into the kitchen to see Lamb crunching. I demand to know what she's eating and tell her if it's M&M's, I'll be very mad. I don't like to share my chocolate.

She looks at me square in the face and says, "Medicine."



Ooohhh, that girl! Whenever I'm eating something I don't want the kids to know about (or share), I tell them that it's medicine. It worked with Chocolate Covered Cherries for the longest time.

Foiled by my own game!

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - New Life Edition

Back in '98, we started a new life with our two kids here in Texas. To mark our new adventure, we had a picture made in Galveston. Our reaction the first time we laid eyes on Galveston beaches is a post for another day. This is all about my loathing of this picture.

I think it's an excellent capture of Lamb & Big D. Bear doesn't look bad even though he's not facing the camera. I look like something the waves tossed to shore. The wind has blown my hair in my eyes. I still have my Bear baby weight (we won't mention that he's around 7 months old here). And my outfit? Good grief. And I remember how I loved it because it was loose and comfortable. Ack.*Disclaimer: I did not crinkle up the picture because I hate it so. Although, I did find it wadded up in a drawer.

Instant GRITS

This is a companion piece to my recent Son of a GRITS post in which I talk about how Bear is totally my son.

It's Lamb's turn now. Only, she's not like me. She's like her daddy. They are both laid back and things just slide right off them. They both have this dry wit. They both are a fountain of useless trivia. Although, on both of their behalf (behalves?), they are also a fountain of useful information. Neither forgets anything. They constantly play this quoting game where they spout off their favorite scenes.

They both have an easy laugh. Things are just funny to them. It doesn't matter if they hear it one time or a million times. If it was funny then, it's funny now. And there is NOTHING like their laughs. It makes the world a fun place to live in.

Right now, there is a commercial on Disney that sends Lamb into gales of laughter every time she sees it. It's a promo for the Studio DC: Almost Live show with The Muppets and Disney actors. The 2nd show features a song by Demi Lovato featuring Beaker. I'm not sure if you'll find it as funny as Lamb does but it's here for your amusement.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to Bubba's Sis

I have been so blessed with the friendships I have made in Texas. Seven years ago, I did something totally out of character. At the 2nd grade Christmas party, I went up to the mother of the girl my daughter talked about CONSTANTLY and introduced myself. Woah. Little did I know that an everlasting friendship would be born. We are two peas in a pod and yin & yang. Our kids are best friends. The boys probably don't even remember a life without the other in it. We have laughed, cried, been totally crazy, and even vacationed together.

Today is Bubba's Sis' birthday! I, for one, am so very happy that she was born. I can't imagine my life without her in it!

Here's an apple pie formy Baseball Buddy

my Concert Buddy

my Beach Buddy

my Goofy Buddy

my Racing Through Life Buddy

Happy Happy YOUR day! Love you!

Dysfunction Junction

At church, Big D jokingly pointed out in the program that the church was offering a class on how to let go of your dysfunctional childhood. He teasingly (maybe?) thought I might could use it. Lamb, who was sitting between us, gave me a look. I realized that she really doesn't know what my childhood was like. Coastie Brother & I didn't have an easy time of it, that's for sure. But it is what it is. Some had better, some had worse. I just have never felt the need or desire to share it with my kids. I don't like to dwell on it.

There was on other time it was glaringly obvious to me. Bear made the comment asking how come Uncle A never visited Poppy. He just assumed that all my siblings (there are 4 siblings and 6 step-siblings in the course of my life) had the same parents. And while he knew that his G & Poppy didn't live together, he didn't understand that they are divorced. Lamb then piped in that she never really thought about it either.

That part of my past seems so long ago. Almost like it happened in a book I read or a show I watched. Most of the people directly responsible for the dysfunction aren't even in my life anymore. Thank you God! And while I can tell there are still some remnants of it, they don't really apply to the kids. It's all on Big D. Poor guy.

So, how much do our kids need to know about our childhood? Do they need to know everything about us? And how do you tell them?

Camera Critters #26

Sincerely 'Fro Me to You - Stark Fear Edition

This is an oldie but goodie. Even though my kids are terrified, this picture never fails to make me laugh. Oh, I know I'm horrible. ;) Naturally, my kids hate it and cringe when I show it off.At Animal Kingdom, Bear wanted to ride the Dinosaur ride. I have NO recollection of it whatsoever. All I remember is how scared Bear was during the entire thing. When we saw our picture, we knew we had to buy it. Thank the heavens above that Big D had a grip on Bear & I had a hand holding him down or he would have been outta there! And, poor Lamb, was right there beside the big huge dinosaur that was waiting to gobble us. I guess I should have researched the ride, but what a great memory! Click on the picture to really see the expressions & Bear's tight grip on Big D's jeans.